Capstan



Nov. 12,1929. H. s. ALBRECI-IT 1,735,711

' CAPYSTAN Filed March 28, 1928 15 i Z2 Z2 6 I; Z4 I .20

Dr ven/or HERMAN s ALBRECHT A Harvey Patented Nov. 12,1929

HERMAN .s. A BRECHT, or sun LOUIS, ivrrssounr Application filed March 2-8, 1928. Serial No. 265,348.

Myinvention relates to improvements in 'capstans, and more particularly to those capstans having a shaft centrally therethrough, and has for its principal objects the i 5 production of such a capstan which shall be simple, convenient, extremely sturdy and long-wearing in construction, reliable, and eificient and satisfactory for use" wherever found applicable.

With thecaps'tans now in use, especially those having a centralshaft therethrough and using a speedr'educing gearing between the drive-land drivenmembers, there is a very great strain'imposed on theshaft whenever the load'is on, such a strain tending'to bend the shaft and perhaps break it, and acting to throw the parts of the mechanism out of true alignment. f

One of the objects of my invention is to 'construct such a capstan, but wherein the transverseplateral or side strain is taken ofi the shaft and transmitted to the base mem her, said base member being of comparatively larger size'than the shaft and better able to withstandsuch strains.

Another object ofmy invention is to provide means of thekind described, wherein the winding barrel of the capstan will not rest directly upon the base member, as with usual tween, but, on thecontrary, will be spaced therefrom and maintained in said spaced relationship by means of anti-friction elements, and whereby the side thrust is transmitted from said barrelto said base member;

7 Another object of my invention is to so construct the co-operating parts of the base and barrel of thecapstan, that said antifriction members may be inserted into place without in any way dismantling or taking off any of the members, said anti-friction members being put into position after the finished assemblingof the capstamfrom without the parts thereof, and said means may be 'centering,etc.,- from the exterior of the capstan. a j

' 7 Many other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which construction, to cause undue wear therebe-' adjusted to compensate for wearor forbetter' this invention appertain's, from the disclosures herein given. H t A To this end my invention consists inithe novel construction,arrangement, and combination of parts herein shown and described, and more particularly pointedout-in the claims. e I e In the drawing, whereinlike reference characters indicate like or corresponding parts throughout, i

The figure isavertical cross-sectionalvi'ew, some of the parts being indicated in planview for the sake of clearness. ,7 I 7 f' In said drawing, wherein Ihave illustrated a preferred embodiment of myinvention, there is shown a capstan,particularly in tended for'marine service, and comprising the three main members, thehead, barrel and l base members, respectively, and numbered as 1, 2 and .3, respectively.- The driving? power is applied at the head member to rotate the same, the pockets being shown' for receiving bars forthis purpose; The rotation of the head member is thence imparted to the barrel member with a reduced. speed, by 5 'means of suitable mechanism such as gearing or the like, as shown, said barrel being elongated and adapted to have a length of cable or the like flexed or wound thereabout, in the usual manner. 7 7 v 3 A shaft'5 extends upwardly from the base member 3 and passes through both the barrel and head members; 7 Saidbarrel member is hollow andis provided with a depending annular flange 6 about the bottom thereof, fora 8 purpose tobe more clearly'hereinafter described. f; T

The head member is rotatably supported on the top face of the'barrelmember and is f provlded with an -elongated, hollow sleeve 9 15 gear plate.

'This permits the head to be rotated relatively to the barrel, in one direction, the pins ratcheting over said teeth, but preventing relative rotation in the opposite direction. A

' 5 dome'or cover is preferably placed over saidhead member, as shown. 7

In a-ohamber formed'betw'e'en the lower end 7 70f the barrel member and the'upper end of the base member, there is arranged the speed- 10 reducing gearing. A gear plate 11 is rotatably mounted on the shaft said plate carrying a plurality of pinion gears12 there-on,

. said gears being rotatably mounted on stub shafts 13 spaced circumferentially around-the A center gear 14: is rotatably niounted on'the shaft, above the plate, and

meshes with all of said pinion gears. The in- 1 her wall surface of said barrel 2-is provided with an annular series ofgear teeth 15, adapt- I edto iriesh'with and be engaged by the teeth of the pinion gears; r

The center gear 1ft is keyed to the head member 1, in any suitable manner, as" by forming mating lugs andpocl'r'ets in the lower end of the sleeve .portionof the headmember and the top of the center gear; as indicated.

'- Pins 16 are inserted through openings in the gear'plate, so as to be vertically slid-able, thesep'ins being tapered at thelrlower ends and en a eable with ratchet teeth 17 provided inan annular series on the top face of the-base Inemb'en In this manner, rotative m'ovement of the gear plate'in one direction is permitted 'relativ'elyt-o the base, but is prea vented in the opposite direction.

Theb'ase member 3 is proviled with "a pair "of upwardly directed annularflang'es 18and 19, there being-teeth 20 between saidfiange's,

said teeth being-enga -geable with pawl's' 21 '4 iwhioh -a're hinged u on-and depend from the outer sur'faceor the annular flange '6 of the barrel'member.

, When it'i's desired to'eixert a pull 011a cable,

' the latter (not shown) is looped about-the "1 barrel of the capstan and force applied at the head member by-rotaftin'git in the proper direetion. This rotation is transmitted, by

" manager the inter-keyed sleeve and gearing,

, toth'e barrel member, to cause the latter to ro- 3 tate more slowly than the head, and in the I 'eppositedii-ectioil than-the latter. Th 'pins 9 and16, as well as thepawls 21, will slip or ratchet-over their toothed run-ways,but will pre ent accidental slippage anrlf rotation f -thebarrel in the op osite direction.

I 'Info'rdertoprevent un'duestrain on the shaft 5 and avoid bending or perhaps break- 7 in'g the samal have provided nieans'to oaus'e r 1 the base member to} take up 't'hei transverse or V lateral strait-1' imparted to the's'haft'and bar- The 'co-cperatingflanges 6 and 19 "are con- 's't ru'cted "so" that one encircles the other and they are maintained spaced apart a slightdi's- I "tance; In the embodimentillustrated, the

load as well. I When the handle u'nderload,

- movementtherebetween lo'ngitudin V 2. In a capstan, a

flange 19 is the inner one and is provided with a substantially semi-circular cross-section groove 22, extending annularly about the outer peripheral surface thereof, forming a race-way. Openings 23 are. provided radir0 ally through the overhanging flange 6, and are preferably threaded to receive a screw 24, said openings being of suflieiently large diameter to permit of an anti-friction element' 25 being inserted therethrough from the exterior side of the flange. These screws 24 are provided with a substantially semi-spherical cavity or pocket at their inner ends for re 'eeiving andretaining the anti-friction element in place. Obviously these screws may be adjusted from time to'time,as desired, to take up for wear of therace-waygor for any I other reason, this adjusting being iaccqm= p'lished from without the capstan, "and with out dismantling of any of the parts or causing 1:3

interruption in case the capstan :i-s 'underroperation. I a f It 'to'benoted that the barrel member does not rest upon the base 'Inember directly, as is usually the case, but is spaced a slight distance thereabove. With such 'aiconstruo tion, there is no undue wear between the barrel and base, but the anti fri ction elements not only reduce this Wear, but-fth'ey carry the "as pulling on a cable, the customary transverse 01 sldestrain's thereon will :be'tran'smitted through said anti-friction elemente'i to the base, whereby they will'be evenly and uniformly absorbed {and without the danger of any breakage or bending of the shaft. Further, the capstan will 'run smoother., with l-ess'power, and with greater life to itszparts.

Having thus described my ihventionfli't, is obvious that various immaterial mbd1fiea- 1 'tions' may be made in'thesamewithout departing from the "spirit 0f m invention; hence I do no'twish tobeunderstood as limiting myself to the exact construct-ion, ioriii,

arrangement, and combinationofp'arts' h'ere- V in shown and described, or uses lr-re'nti'on'ed, "except as limitedby the claims.

VVh'at I claim as new and desire to' 'sec'ure by Letters Patentis':

1. In a capstan mechanism, a headiand "3115 base member, a member independent of said head member anu; about which afliiible cable is aa t arcsbevv'ound, a tending between saidbase aniline-member's, and means between said barrel and basemem- 2 ber'slto transmittransve'rse thrustfror'n the I former to the latter :and 1n iv'e ally mi oppo'site directions.

head, ,a l barrel, 2a Jbase, a stationary shaft extending fromsaid lbase to said head, drive means.between-saidhead and barrel 4 for transmitting rotary fmove nient therebetween, and means-betweenrsairl i 30 barrel and base members for transmitting strain between the former and the latter.

3. In a device of the kind described and in combination, a barrel member about which a cable may be wound, a head member driv ingly connected to said barrel member, a base member independent of said head member and spaced from said barrel member and having an annular race-way therein, and a plurality of anti-friction elements carried by said barrel member and engageable in said race-way, whereby said barrel member is supported thereby and the side thrust on said member is transmitted to said base member.

4. In a capstan, a rotary head member, a' fixed base member having an annular flange provided with a groove peripherally therein, a rotary barrel member between said base and head members and having an annular flange adjacent said first-mentioned flange, a shaft extending between said base and head, means on said shaft for transmitting drive between said head and barrel members, antifriction means between said pair of flanges and traveling in said annular groove, the outermost of said pair of flanges having a radial aperture therethrough, whereby said anti-friction means are insertable into position after assembly of said capstan.

5. In a device of the kind described, and in combination, a capstan head, a base member provided with a peripherally grooved annular flange, a barrel interposed between said members and having a radial aperture therethrough leading inwardly from the periph eral outer surface, a shaft between said base and head members, said base and barrel memhers being spaced apart, anti-friction elements insertable through said radial aperture through the barrel member from the exterior of the barrel member after assembly of said device, whereby the lateral thrust on said barrel will be transmitted to said base member, and means for retaining said antifriction elements in their desired positions and adjusting them while in service to compensate for wear of said groove.

6. In a capstan, a head member, a base member, a hollow barrel therebetween and spaced above the latter, a shaft extending from the base to said head member, gearing on said shaft for transmitting rotative movement between said head and barrel members, said base and barrel members having 7cooperating radially spaced flanges, one encircling the other, an annular race-Way on one of said flanges, ball-retaining means on the other of said flanges, and balls in said ballretaining means and projecting into said race-way, whereby said barrel is supported and lateral thrust on said barrel is transmitted to said base member. I

HERMAN S. ALBRECHT. 

